Battle of Fort Lee

The Battle of Fort Lee (20 November 1776) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War that occurred during the New York and New Jersey campaign of 1776. The Americans were forced to evacuate Fort Lee on the Hudson River, and the fort was occupied by the British and the Hessians.

George Washington's army was forced to retreat across the Hudson and into New Jersey following the fall of New York, and Fort Washington, located near the north end of Manhattan (now Washington Heights), was captured with 3,000 of its garrison and large quantities of supplies. Washington's army retreated deeper into New Jersey, leaving 2,000 troops to defend Fort Lee (named for General Charles Lee) on The Palisades. After the capture of Fort Washington, the Royal Navy controlled the Hudson River, and General William Howe ordered Charles Cornwallis to clear the rebels from New Jersey without a major engagement, and to do it quickly before the weather changed. On the night of 19-20 November 1776, 5,000 British troops were ferried across the Hudson on barges and began landing near what is now Alpine, New Jersey. On the morning of 20 November, Washington and Nathanael Greene ordered the evacuation of the fort, and the garrison crossed the Hackensack River at New Bridge Landing and the Passaic River at Acquackanonk Bridge.